Aircraft Stability
what is stability?
the aircraft's tendency to stay in straight, upright, level flight without being displaced
what is the composition of the atmosphere
21% O2, 78% N. 1% water vapour
what is the prefix used for mid-altitude clouds
alto
what unit of measurement is used for atmospheric pressure?
hPa
what unit of measurement is used for temperature in aviation
degrees Celsius
what is neutral stability?
aircraft will stay in the new position after being displaced
what is the top of the stratosphere called?
stratopause
what is convection?
warm air heated by the surface rises
name a high pressure area
cyclones, thunderstorms, tornadoes
what is humidity?
the amount of water or moisture in an air mass
what is pitch?
longitudinal stablity
what is mobility in the atmosphere?
the ability for air to move from one place to another
what is orographic lift?
sloping terrain forcing air upwards and causing it to cool
what are isobars?
areas of like pressure joined together by lines
what is relative humidity?
the ratio between how much humidity is in an air mass and how much humidity it can hold before becoming saturated
what is yaw?
directional stability
what happens when an air mass expands?
warm, rises, cools as altitude decreases
what are eddies?
unstable air caused by mechanical turbulance
what is veering and backing?
veering: wind changes to counter clock-wise with an increase in altitude and windspeed
backing: wind changes to clock-wise with decrease in altitude and windspeed
what happens when the dewpoint is reached?
the air mass becomes saturated and forms clouds an precipitation
what is roll
lateral stablity
what are the 4 assumptions of the International Civil Aviation Organization
air is a perfectly dry gas, mean sea level pressure is at 29.92 inches of Hg, mean sea level temperature is at 15 degrees Celsius, the earth's lapse rate is 1.98 degrees Celsius per 1000ft
how is a cumulus cloud formed?
formed by unstable, warm, atmospheric conditions
What is the polar front theory?
the interacting between arctic and equatorial air masses
how is hail formed?
when water droplet has frozen and reached particular mass and it falls